Ty Lue Confirms Starting Center for Clippers on Opening Night

The center spot was one of the last big questions for the Los Angeles Clippers heading into the regular season, and head coach Tyronn Lue settled it after practice at Intuit Dome on Saturday when he picked center Isaiah Jackson as his starter for the opener against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, Oct. 21.

Jackson was the only name Lue gave out, since he said he could not remember the rest of the lineup when he was asked about the other four spots.

Back at media day, Lue said the team would have battles for several starting spots in camp, and the one at center now looks settled.

Jackson was the starter throughout the preseason, according to NBC Sports, so the call did not come out of nowhere.

He started at center again in the preseason finale against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, Oct. 14, and had nine points and five rebounds in about 26 minutes of a 122-110 win at Intuit Dome.

Jackson saw this coming back on Oct. 3, when he had been working with the first team and told a reporter, "I think I'm going to be in the starting role."

He said in that same talk that his Achilles is fully healed.

I would have made the same call, because Jackson brings more speed and bounce in the middle than center Brook Lopez does, and he earned the job by holding on to it from the first days of camp through the last preseason game.

Jackson did not start any of his 17 games with the Clippers after he came over from the Indiana Pacers on Feb. 5 in the trade that sent center Ivica Zubac to Indiana, but he averaged 7.5 points and 4.6 rebounds in that stretch and made 76.4% of his shots.

The team had also dropped hints about this lineup during training camp.

My worry is his health, since Jackson tore his right Achilles in a game at New Orleans in November 2024 and missed the rest of that season with the Pacers.

Lopez started 40 of his 75 games last season and averaged 8.5 points and 1.2 blocks while making 36% of his threes, and RotoWire expects him to be Jackson's primary backup.

That should help the second unit, because Lopez can protect the rim in shorter bursts off the bench.

The Clippers need both of them, too, since forward Brandon Ingram and center Yanic Konan Niederhauser will not be ready for the opener, which leaves the team with a thin group up front to start the year.

After the Kings come to Intuit Dome, the Clippers visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, Oct. 23, and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, Oct. 25, so Jackson gets three games in five days to open the year.

That is a heavy early load for a player coming back from a torn Achilles, and the way Lue splits the minutes between Jackson and Lopez in that first week will show me whether this is a real long-term answer at center or just the best option on the roster right now.